Hall of Fame basketball coach Phil Jackson has become increasingly interested in working in the NBA next season, sources familiar with the coach told ESPN on Wednesday. Jackson has spent nearly two seasons in retirement since his Los Angeles Lakers were swept in the NBA playoffs by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks.

However, Jackson is not necessarily returning to a head coaching position, as he is known to be intrigued by the concept of taking a managerial position for the first time in his career. But sources told ESPN.com this week that Jackson is "itching" to return to the league he spent over 30 years as a part of as both a player and a coach.

Sources indictated that there is no specific opportunity in play yet for Jackson, who resisted coaching overtures from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this season and told longtime confidant Charley Rosen in January in a SheridanHoops.com story that he "has no intention of ever coaching again."